LOS ANGELES -- For seven minutes in the fourth quarter Chris Paul sat on the bench, in his blue and gray sweat-suit, watching the team he may stick with for the next five years of his life. He saw Blake Griffin spar with Zach Randolph. He saw Jamal Crawford turn down an open three-pointer and hit Matt Barnes under the basket. He saw Eric Bledsoe run a 90-foot dash and DeAndre Jordan assault a rim. When he finally peeled off his warm-ups, the Memphis Grizzlies were weak-kneed and wobbling, ill-prepared for basketball's Mariano Rivera. After a dizzying sequence of crossovers on Jerryd Bayless, Paul tossed in a fade-away three, and the Clippers celebrated a playoff-opening 112-91 win at Staples Center. Last year, the Clippers had to rally from a 27-point deficit to beat Memphis in Game 1. This year, they made it much easier on themselves.